The imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) is used in subordinate clauses to refer to past events, as well as for politeness or hypothetical situations. It has two sets of endings (-ra and -se).
When to use it
Hypothetical 'if' clauses
Si tuviera más tiempo, leería más
If I had more time, I would read more
Polite requests
Quisiera un café, por favor
I would like a coffee, please
Reporting wishes, doubts, or suggestions in the past
El profesor recomendó que leyéramos el libro
The teacher recommended that we read the book
Regular endings
| -ar | -er | -ir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -ara | -iera | -iera |
| tú | -aras | -ieras | -ieras |
| él | -ara | -iera | -iera |
| nos. | -áramos | -iéramos | -iéramos |
| vos. | -arais | -ierais | -ierais |
| ellos | -aran | -ieran | -ieran |
Irregular verbs
Completely Irregular
Irregular Stem
Irregular Stem: c → j
Irregular Stem: e → i
Irregular Stem: o → u
Irregular Form
Spelling Change: vowel → y
Frequently asked
The imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) is used in subordinate clauses to refer to past events, as well as for politeness or hypothetical situations. It has two sets of endings (-ra and -se). The main cases are hypothetical 'if' clauses, polite requests and reporting wishes, doubts, or suggestions in the past. For example: Si tuviera más tiempo, leería más — If I had more time, I would read more.
Regular verbs take: -ar: yo -ara, tú -aras, él -ara, nos. -áramos, vos. -arais, ellos -aran; -er: yo -iera, tú -ieras, él -iera, nos. -iéramos, vos. -ierais, ellos -ieran; -ir: yo -iera, tú -ieras, él -iera, nos. -iéramos, vos. -ierais, ellos -ieran.
The most common ones are ser, estar, tener, hacer, poder, decir, haber and ir. Each has its own conjugation table with the full set of forms.
The imperfecto de subjuntivo sits at B2 — Upper Intermediate, and Verboteca practice is free at A1. The rule, the tables and the examples on this page stay readable without a subscription or an account.
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